140 
THE CUCKOO’S SECRET 
One can oniy surmise as to why the Cuckoo 
should have apparently intended first, at 2 p.m., 
to lay in No. 5 nest, and then, even when the hide, 
which was not nearer than ten yards, was removed, 
take no further interest in that nest but display such 
remarkable determination to use No. 6 nest in 
spite of our efforts to discourage her. Possibly 
she preferred No. 6 pair for the reason that they 
never seemed to battle with her in the violent 
manner of certain other pairs, especially Nos. 5 
and 9. 
The Laying of the Tenth Egg , June 1. 
We began the day knowing only of the nest of 
No. 5 pair, which it was now not expected that the 
Cuckoo would use ; but at 2.35, after sitting motion- 
less for over two hours on tree K 1 , she flew down 
to and showed us a nest with one egg which we 
subsequently discovered belonged to the cock 
Meadow Pipit of No. 4 pair and the hen of No. 3 
pair, whose mate had died. No. 4 cock had 
deserted his original hen and thus formed this new 
combined pair. The nest was situated eighty-five 
yards from tree K 1 . For the fosterer’s single egg 
I substituted another, and after temporary absence 
from the common, possibly to feed, the Cuckoo 
